It comes on the heels of a devastating year in which New Jersey alone reported nearly 26,000 cases of the flu, including the deaths of five children.

Len Iamundo, 62, of Middletown, is taking no chances. He didn't used to get the flu shot. But since he had open heart surgery eight years ago, he and his wife, Denise, heed their doctors' advice.

"As far as getting the flu, I think we’ve been pretty good with it," Iamundo said, knocking on the wooden table in front of him. "If anything has happened it doesn’t seem to be as severe or as prolonged."

The Spanish flu outbreak is the worst pandemic in the 20th century. In just 15 months it kills between 50 million to 100 million people. About 670,000 people die in the United States, more fatalities than both world wars combined. No one is certain where it originated, though some experts believe American soldiers brought the flu from the United States to Europe in 1917 during World War I. Photo by Hulton Archive / Getty Images

Maggie Ordon, curator of the World War I exhibit at the Montana Historical Society, demonstrates how to fold a then-newfangled paper cup, meant to replace community dippers and prevent the spread of the Spanish Flu. TRIBUNE PHOTO/KRISTEN INBODY

Front page article in the Asbury Park Press on Nov. 1, 1918; three weeks after city officials ordered a quarantine of Asbury Park in an effort to contain the deadly Spanish flu pandemic. Asbury Park Press archives

The late afternoon sun shines through clouds above a cross marking a mass grave where an estimated 200 residents of Wales, Alaska were buried after being killed in the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic. Wales was once one of the larges Eskimo villages in Alaska; today only about 150 people live there, and the town never recovered from the massive losses it suffered during the flu epidemic. Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY No credit

The First Congregational Church in Burlington set up a nursery for children whose parents were too ill to care for them during the Spanish flu outbreak in 1918. Courtesy First Congregational Church through the Vermont Historical Society

Born’s Park, once located between North 14th and 15th streets and Michigan and St. Clair avenues in Sheboygan, was a spa and health facility. During the worst of the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic it was called into action to take overflow victims from St. Nicholas Hospital. Born’s Emergency Hospital could handle up to 50 patients at one time. Submitted

1. You don't want the flu

Unlike a cold that methodically makes its way through the body, the flu hits like a truck, causing a fever, aches, chills, fatigue and a cough. And it can lead to more serious complications like pneumonia, bronchitis and sinus infections, resulting in hospitalization or even death.

The flu can last 10 to 14 days, Thompson said, and it is contagious, meaning that it would be a good idea for people with the flu to stay home from school or work.

2. Some are more at risk than others

But seniors over age 65, children under 5, pregnant women and people with medical conditions like asthma, heart disease and liver disorders are more susceptible, the CDC said.

Infants younger than 6 months old should not get the shot, the agency said.

One note: Pregnant women should get the flu shot instead of the nasal flu spray. It protects both the mother and the child, the agency said.

3. The flu shot doesn't promise blanket coverage

There are two types of flu viruses that typically cause illnesses in the U.S., the CDC said, and within them are various strains that can change.The vaccine is designed to protect against three or four of the most common viruses.

4. You can't get the flu from the flu shot

Flu season brings with it myths, including a popular one that the flu vaccine gives you the flu.

In fact, the vaccine is typically made from an inactivated flu virus, which activates the immune system without causing a full-blown illness, experts said.

The vaccine can cause soreness in the arm, a low-grade fever and a headache for a day or so, but not enough to cause serious harm, they said.

"You don’t get the flu from a shot," Thompson said. "What you can get is, your body's immune system kind of triggers things and that may be a little achy or a low-grade fever, but it’s not the flu."

5. Flu shots on aisle one

Medicare and most insurance plans cover flu shots with no out-of-pocket costs.

And there is no shortage of places to find them. In addition to your doctor's office, flu shots are offered at pharmacies at stores including Rite Aid, CVS and ShopRite; and at community events planned throughout the month mainly for seniors in Monmouth and Ocean counties.